By Staff
Monday, March 16, 2020 12:21 AM
WATERLOO, Ontario—As containers of soap and hand sanitizer become limited in availability since the global spread of coronavirus, people are paying more attention to handwashing practices. While there is no suggestion of an association between COVID-19 and safe contact lens wear, for the millions of lens wearers worldwide, the increased focus on hand washing is a welcome message, experts have noted. A recent literature review from professor emeritus Desmond Fonn and the
Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) reports that proper hand hygiene is especially important for people who use contact lenses.
By Staff
Wednesday, March 11, 2020 12:21 AM
SAN RAMON, Calif.—Twenty eyecare professionals (ECPs) from across the U.S. are the first certified ODs to prescribe under
CooperVision’s new Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program, which features the
MiSight 1 day contact lens as its cornerstone, according to an announcement. Following an in-person educational workshop covering clinical, technological, and child-parent interaction content, each of the 20 ODs then successfully completed an online exam. The CooperVision MiSight 1 day lens is the first and only product approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for slowing the progression of myopia in children, who at initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age, as
VMAIL reported.
By Staff
Monday, March 2, 2020 12:24 AM
GENEVA—With its first year of operating as a standalone independent company just about wrapped up,
Alcon (SIX/NYSE:ALC) is pleased with its progress but expects to build upon this initial success as it unlocks the company’s full potential in the eyecare sector. This was the message from chief executive officer David Endicott, who has been leading Alcon since last April.
By Staff
Wednesday, February 26, 2020 12:15 AM
WATERLOO, Ontario—Scientists from the
Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) will have their largest-ever presence at the
8th Dutch Contact Lens Congress (Nederlands Contactlens Congress/NCC), which runs March 15-16 in Veldhoven, The Netherlands. CORE researchers are scheduled to present multiple papers, posters and education sessions on some of the most critical issues in contact lens prescribing and development, including industry growth, contact lens safety, wearer satisfaction and pediatric use. “The theme of the conference is ‘Beyond 2020’ and we consider this an apt description of what we have in store for NCC this year,” CORE head of clinical research Jill Woods, MSc, MCOptom, FAAO, FBCLA, said in an announcement.
By Staff
Thursday, February 20, 2020 12:21 AM
LAVAL, Quebec—Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) reported Wednesday that it achieved sales growth of 5 percent in the fourth quarter and 3 percent for the full year of 2019. In addition, Bausch said the fourth-quarter results marked the eighth consecutive quarter of total organic revenue growth. Fourth-quarter revenues totaled $2.224 billion (an increase of $103 million compared with $2.121 billion in the year-ago period), while adjusted EBITDA totaled $898 million. The company also reported a GAAP net loss of $1.516 billion in the fourth quarter, which compares with a net loss of $344 million in the year-ago period.
By Staff
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 12:24 AM
VANCOUVER, British Columbia—
Kits Eyecare Ltd., a North American online retailer of eyeglasses and contact lenses, has named former Coastal Contacts executive Rob Long to the role of chief marketing officer. Long joins Kits from Dyson Canada, where he sat on the leadership team and led the direct-to-consumer division. Kits was founded in 2018 by Roger Hardy, who previously had launched one of the groundbreaking brands in omnichannel eyecare, Coastal Contacts Inc., which owned
Coastal.com, Clearly.ca and Lensway.se. Hardy is currently the chief executive and chairman of
Hardy Capital.
By Staff
Wednesday, February 12, 2020 12:18 AM
SAN RAMON, Calif.—
CooperCompanies (NYSE: COO) has named Mark Drury as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, effective Feb. 15. He will report to Albert G. White, president and chief executive officer, according to an announcement late last week. Drury succeeds Randal L. Golden, who announced his plans to retire after many successful years with the company. As part of the transition, Golden will continue to serve in a legal advisory role until Feb. 1, 2021, the announcement noted.
By Staff
Monday, February 3, 2020 12:15 AM
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.—Three optometry students presented scientific posters at the 2020 Global Specialty Lens Symposium in Las Vegas as winners of the Optometry Student Challenge, a program designed by
ABB Optical Group, in collaboration with
Paragon Vision Sciences, to foster the study of contact lenses. The lead authors of the scientific posters were Shuyi (Suzy) Chen, of the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry in New York; Preet Dhami, from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) School of Optometry in Boston; and Elton Wong, also from SUNY College of Optometry.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 12:21 AM
SAN RAMON, Calif.—CooperVision has named Jane Agbontaen as senior brand director for myopia management–Americas, according to an announcement this week. In this newly created role, Agbontaen will be responsible for the strategic planning and execution of all activities that support the U.S. growth of CooperVision’s myopia management portfolio—specifically the Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program with MiSight 1 day, the first and only FDA-approved product clinically proven to slow the progression of myopia when initially prescribed for children 8-12 years old in the U.S.
By Staff
Thursday, January 16, 2020 12:21 AM
SAN RAMON, Calif.—
CooperVision, which is preparing for the March 2020 U.S. launch of
MiSight 1 day contact lenses, has kicked off the new year by announcing this week the details of its comprehensive myopia management approach. An initial group of eyecare professionals (ECPs) gathered in Miami on Jan. 7-8 to learn about the “Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program” and to prepare to prescribe the MiSight 1 day lens to patients. CooperVision’s MiSight 1 day lens is the first and only product approved by the Food and Drug Administration for slowing the progression of myopia when initially prescribed for children 8-12 years old, as
VMAIL reported.
By Staff
Monday, July 15, 2019 12:24 AM
ROCHESTER, N.Y.—
Clerio Vision, a developer of laser-based vision correction solutions, has acquired
Hydrogel Vision Corporation (HVC). Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction brings together HVC’s long-standing expertise in the manufacturing and distribution of high performance contact lenses with Clerio’s innovative product pipeline, Clerio said in a statement issued today. HVC, founded in 2002, is best known for its Extreme H2O product line and its multiple differentiated offerings that personalize the contact lens wearing experience.
By Staff
Tuesday, July 9, 2019 12:18 AM
PLEASANTON, Calif.—In the midst of various efforts to improve its global sustainability efforts,
CooperVision Inc. earlier this month published a series of four short videos relating to these sustainability programs. The contact lens company noted it believes providing access to the videos, even in their short form, will resonate more meaningfully with eyecare professionals, partners and others around the world. The company’s multiple environmental initiatives are focused on: saving water and conserving energy; reducing, reusing and recycling resources; and empowering people within the company and the communities in which it operates.
By Staff
Tuesday, December 11, 2018 12:21 AM
LAKE ZURICH, Ill.—Services are planned for long-time contact lens and marketing executive, Thomas F. Steiner, 73, who passed away on Dec. 6 after a long illness. Steiner spent 35 years as a visionary marketing executive in the optical industry with Wesley Jessen and CIBA Vision, and later started a business as a marketing consultant. Among his many accomplishments was his involvement in the launch of cosmetic color contact lenses, and the creation of several unique strategic programs for educating optometrists about the business aspects of practice. He was a mentor to many in the industry.
By Staff
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 12:18 AM
MULLICA HILL, N.J—
OcuMedic, Inc., the first developer of therapeutic lens for the delivery of drugs for the global ophthalmic market, announced their
Contact Drug Delivery System, received a patent by the European Patent Offices, according to a release from the company. The patent will cover all intellectual property of the company’s timed-released delivery of drugs directly to the eye through prescription soft-contact lenses. President and CEO of OcuMedic, Inc., Keith D. Ignotz, said, “The European patent extends the company’s intellectual property coverage to the important European market valued at $16.7 billion annually, growing by 5.6 percent CAGR by 2023, according to Allied Market Research.